Choices
by mommanerd
Summary: Set in season 6 following "Older And Far Away" - Buffy and Spike have reached an impasse. It's time to make some hard choices.
1. Part 1

It was early evening as Buffy approached Spike's crypt, fighting with herself like she had every other time. Desire was at odds with logic. And like all the other times, desire won. Lost in her silent struggle she was startled by the sound of crashing and breaking furniture. Pulse quickening, she pulled Mr. Pointy out of his resting-place and rushed up to the crypt and through the door. It took a second for her eyes to adjust from the darkness to light, a second that was almost more than could be afforded. A figure, it's back turned to Buffy, was holding an upraised stake in it's hand, standing over a prone but conscious Spike.  
  
"Calm down Mate! I am sure we can work something out!" Spike desperately told his attacker.  
  
Buffy lunged across the room, grabbing the figure's arm and shoved the attacker hard up against the wall, where he let out a loud "oomph" of air being forced out of his lungs before sliding down to the floor. The hood of his jacket fell back, revealing a young man. Buffy was shocked to recognize him as one of her high-school classmates. He gasped for breath, glaring at Buffy with betrayal in his eyes. "That Monster and his girlfriend killed my mother and sister four years ago! Why did you stop me Slayer? You should be helping me." The last sentence almost sounded like a plea.  
  
Buffy bent down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I understand how you feel, but he can't fight back." She reasoned with him. "He's been made so that he can't hurt humans anymore. He can't defend himself."  
  
"Well neither could they. He didn't care when he took my family from me. They were helpless too. Why should I care?" Tears flowed unheeded down his face, his voice was full of pain.  
  
"Because you don't want to be like him." She gave Spike a long level look even as she spoke. "Do you want to do the same thing he did?"  
  
Spike interrupted, missing Buffy's warning look, and attempted to calm the young man. "Look, if it's any consolation to you, I'm sure they didn't suffer. I didn't get off on prolonging it. Not like other vamps I know."  
  
The man leveled himself off the floor and out of Buffy's grasp. He stepped toward Spike while firmly grasping the stake that still was in his hand. Buffy could see that his whole body was trembling.  
  
"You are a monster! Do you have any idea what it is like to have the people you love the most taken from you, and you are powerless to do anything about it?" Raw pain laced his voice. Spike looked over at Buffy, his own eyes filled with memories and anguish.  
  
"Yeah. I can say I have had some experience with that." He took a deep breath, let it out and dropped his shoulders, "And I wouldn't blame you for staking me right now." Buffy noticed that Spike's hard swallow and realized against her better judgment that Spike meant what he said.  
  
Buffy noticed that she was holding her breath. The scene that played out before her held her spellbound. She didn't want to think about what she might have do if the young man tried to carry out his threat. Would she actually harm another human to defend a vampire? She watched man's face contort as he struggled to control his emotions.  
  
"I won't do it." The sound of the stake hitting the floor was loud in the silence following his pronouncement. "I won't lower myself to doing what you did, even if it is justice." Tears streamed down his face as he turned and ran out into the night. Silence hung thickly between Buffy and Spike as Buffy let out a silent breath in relief that she hadn't had to take action. At least not this time.  
  
"Spike..." Buffy began, then trailed off as confusion and conflicting emotions chased across her face.  
  
"Get out." Spike replied. His voice was dead calm.  
  
"Look, I know this is hard..." Buffy began again, sympathy coloring her voice.  
  
Spike interrupted her, no longer calm "Just bloody get out! I don't need your fluttering pity." In a more subdued tone he continued, "That bloody wanker was right. I am a monster, and the only thing that's kept you from dusting me already is this bleedin' chip in my head!"  
  
He broke off and took a deep breath. "Look, I can't prove to you that I've changed as long as I have it, but you've got no excuse to keep me around if I don't." He turned away from her. "You don't want this, and you don't want me. Just go home Buffy."  
  
Buffy leveled a long look at him, then turned quietly and walked to the door. She paused for a moment before opening it and walking out. She didn't look back. The door closed with a solid thud behind her.  
  
Spike stood alone for a moment, his head is bent. He was barely moving. Suddenly he let out a ferocious roar. He raised his head in full game face and began to storm through his crypt, sweeping vases and ornaments from shelves and tables. He came to his liquor supply, ripped the top from a bottle of bourbon and drank deeply, then flung the bottle against the wall. More bottles followed. He continued to tear through the room overturning tables and throwing everything he encountered. He came to his television set. He picked it up over his head and began to launch it onto the concrete floor. He stopped and looked up. His face calmed. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then, "Oh, bugger it!"  
  
The television crashed at his feet. Shards of glass cut into his legs and the backs of his hands. He walked a few feet away, his rage spent. He sank down to the floor in a heap, his black duster billowing out around him. He brought his hands to his now human face. Shoulders shaking, he wept.  
  
*****  
  
Buffy walked listlessly into her house and turned into the living room. Xander was there with Dawn helping her with her math homework.  
  
Dawn was talking to Xander, sounding amused, "Since when are you a math whiz Xander? Last I heard you got to graduate just because Snyder couldn't wait to get rid of you."  
  
"Hey now," He replied "I spend a lot of hours listening to Anya with her number crunching. Stuff sinks in now and then. I am Xanderini, the great osmosis machine."  
  
"Did you just say 'osmosis'?" Dawn was impressed.  
  
"Yes, and I think I even used it correctly! See, if there's hope for me kiddo, there's hope for you. Now, back to memorizing your theory's and pustules."  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes and didn't bother to correct him.  
  
Buffy stepped into the room "Hey guys. What's up?"  
  
"Just Geometry. I don't understand how I'm ever going to use this stuff." Dawn whined.  
  
"Doesn't matter, Dawn. You've gotta do it anyway. It's just like everything else." Buffy sighed, thinking about her own responsibilities.  
  
"Hey, What is it Buff?" Xander asked, "You seem down. at least more down than usual these days. Something happen at the Doublemeat today? Did you run out of deep-fried compressed pseudo-chicken meatbits?"  
  
"No. Work was fine. I'm just." She thought for a minute. "Hey Xan, will you do a favor for me?"  
  
"Sure, whatever. I'm not due to pick up Anya at the shop until 9:00. She and Halfrek are going over more wedding stuff. Gewww! Any errand would be deeply appreciated."  
  
"Would you mind stopping by Spike's crypt and checking on him? He.um. I saw him earlier and he seemed. kind of. upset." She tried to make the request sound casual.  
  
Xander was a bit mystified, "Ohhhh Kaaayy. You want me to look in on Spike. Hmmm." An expression of confusion crosses his face. He was having trouble with the whole idea of Buffy even caring whether Spike was upset.  
  
"Please Xander." Buffy pled quietly.  
  
Xander still looked confused, but nodded his head anyway. "All right Buff. I'll look in on him and call you later. OK?"  
  
"Sure. Thanks." She responded gratefully. "And thank you for picking up Dawn this afternoon. You're great."  
  
"You're welcome. Well, on my way. Later Buffy, later kiddo."  
  
Dawn and Buffy both waved goodbye as Xander let himself out. Buffy turned to look at her sister, "So, you wanna give me a shot a quizzing you on math facts?"  
  
Dawn was a bit skeptical, "Sure, but aren't you going to patrol tonight?"  
  
"Nah." Buffy shook her head with a little twitch of her lips. "Tonight I want to stay in with my favorite sister. I say popcorn and movies. Sound good to you?"  
  
"Sounds great!" Dawn smiled. "Dibs on the couch!"  
  
*****  
  
Xander approached Spike's crypt and banged on the door. When there was no response he pushed it ajar and stuck his head in to look around. "Spike? You in here?"  
  
There was no answer. Xander walked in and took in the mess.  
  
"Déjà vu all over again." He thought for a minute about the last time he entered uninvited and found the place in a mess. He shuddered at the memory. "Ew. I don't even want to think about what he is doing down there this time!"  
  
After a few minutes of standing there in the deserted room he yelled, "Spike! SPIKE!" There was still no answer. Xander slowly looked around. There was something different this time. The last time things were haphazardly thrown around. This time the place was demolished. Broken glass was everywhere. He saw blood on the floor. Blood! He called more urgently, "SPIKE!!!"  
  
He rushed to the lower level, but there was no sign of the vampire. Everything looked undisturbed down there. He went back upstairs, took one last look around, and then hurried out. 


	2. Part 2

Xander entered the dilapidated demon bar, squared his shoulders, and did his version of a swagger as he approached the bar and the strange little man standing behind it.  
  
Willy sighed loudly and gave Xander a resigned look, "All right. What is it now? You're not going to pretend to beat me up again, are you?"  
  
Xander firmed his chin and narrowed his eyes trying to sound tough, "I just need some information."  
  
Willy just looked bored. He raised his eyebrows as if to say "duh."  
  
Xander's voice returned to normal, "OK. It's like this. I'm looking for Spike. It's important. I need to know if anyone in here has seen or heard from him in the last hour." He leaned over with his forearm on the bar, "This is urgent!"  
  
Willy rolled his eyes, unimpressed, and inclined his head toward the back corner of the room. "He's over there."  
  
Xander, embarrassed, nodded. "Thank you." He gave Willy a dumb Xander grin and walked away as Willy went back to business. Xander walked over to Spike, dodging assorted limbs of various demons as he made his way across the room.  
  
"Hey Spike, what are you doing?" He tried to sound casual.  
  
Spike stared at the shot glass in his hand. "Getting pissed."  
  
"Well, yeah then." Xander pulled up a chair and sat down. "You see, I stopped by your place, and I hate to tell you, but somebody has trashed it. I thought that maybe someone's minions stopped in to drag you off again. I know that you don't want to hear this, but even the TV is scrapped. And there was blood too." He stopped as he noticed the cuts on Spike's hands.  
  
"Right, you told me. Now sod off."  
  
"Whoa bleach boy. Aren't we in a snarky mood? Just doing a favor here. Don't shoot the messenger."  
  
"Favor? For who?"  
  
"Buffy." Spike looked up at him suddenly. "She asked me to check in on you. She was worried about you for some reason. "  
  
Spike looked back down at his drink, tossed it back, and then refilled the glass from the bottle on the table. He shook his head bitterly. "No need to worry 'bout me. I am what I am, you know. Whatever that is."  
  
There was silence for a long moment. Neither of them knew quite what to say. Finally Spike offered, "You want a drink Harris?"  
  
"Ahh," Xander thought for a minute, "Why not? After all, I'm getting married soon. This is what fellows do when they're getting married, right? Go out drinking with the guys. er, guy. Uh, does a vampire qualify as a guy?"  
  
Spike gave Xander a hard look and said, "That's the rub, innit?"  
  
Xander was too busy choking on the cheap booze to notice.  
  
*****  
  
Anya and Halfrek were sitting at the round table in The Magic box. It was covered with open bridal magazines. They were looking at headpieces. The vengeance demon pointed out one that looked like a crown to her former colleague. Anya wrinkled her nose. "No Hallie, you were always the one to go in for all that royal schmaltz. I was thinking more along the lines of retro-demon. Do you see anything that looks like ivory horns?"  
  
"Not in these." Halfrek sneered. "Human publications, remember? You know Anya, I'm still not clear on why you are doing this. Marriage is such a human convention, and you've only been human yourself for a few years."  
  
"I know, but I have realized that my life is very short now. I probably only have 70 years left, and that's if I'm lucky. Plus I'm going to get all gray and pruney and will very likely have to wear eyeglasses. If Xander and I are going to have any time together at all we need to get cracking now! Besides, have you ever heard of filing jointly? And we can take extra deductions for children!" Anya beamed at the thought.  
  
A look of incomprehension crossed Halfrek's face. "Well, I certainly haven't been around as long as you have, so I guess you would have a different perspective on the average human life span." Halfrek considered this for a moment. "So you are telling me that humans can actually keep more of their money by having more children? Hmm!" She thought for another minute, "Why didn't Xander's parents have more children?"  
  
"They are terrible parents." Anya leaned across the table intently. "They fight all the time and never pay attention to Xander. In High School they made him wear really stupid clothes. They even kept him in the basement and forced him to eat assorted processed fruit snacks. That's why he needs me to marry him and make him happy and rich!"  
  
Halfrek's opinion of Xander immediately softened considerably. "Aww. I didn't know that he was a miserable and neglected child Anya. Now I know what to give you as a wedding gift!"  
  
"Oh Hallie, that would be so sweet of you!"  
  
The two exchanged warm smiles. *****.  
  
Xander opened the door to Spike's crypt and led the drunken vampire through. Spike had an arm around Xander's shoulder and was staggering. "OK buddy. You're home. Yep, the place is still a nuclear blast area. Luckily, I don't think you are in any condition to care. I'm going to take you down to your beddie-bye now. There's no place for you to sit up here."  
  
There was no response from Spike. Xander maneuvered him down the ladder. Spike staggered over to the bed and sat down on the side of it.  
  
Xander was concerned, "You gonna be all right? I've gotta head out to get Anya. Is there anything you need before I go?"  
  
"Can't have what I need." Spike slowly shook his head.  
  
"Spike, you've been moaning on about Buffy all evening. Hey, I know what it's like to have feelings for her, and she only thinks of you as a friend. You'll get over it. Maybe I can have Anya fix you up with her demon friend. You two are already sort of acquainted, right? A nice demon girl could be just the thing to help you get your mind off of Buffy."  
  
"Are you a bloody idiot Harris? This is not some li'l crush on Supergirl. I Love her." Spike mused to himself, forgetting that Xander was there. "I think about her all the time. Her smell. the way she feels. She's so tiny and so strong. Whups my ass, she does, then makes it all better." He sighed. "I thought if I could just have her one time, it would be enough. I could just remember it and be happy with that. I was wrong. I can't get enough of her. I want all of her, but all I get is her li'l scraps." He fell back on the bed and closed his eyes. "Just her li'l scraps. Every time I hold her, I just want more of her."  
  
Spike passed out. Xander stood there stunned. He didn't want to believe what he had just heard. Suddenly, so much made sense to him: Buffy withdrawing from all her friends, and her strange absences. All the times lately he had seen Buffy and Spike together, standing a little too close. The little moments when one would catch the other's eyes. She hadn't even joked about staking his bloodsucking carcass since. since. since she came back. Then there was the last time he had come to the crypt to find it in chaos - when Buffy was invisible and he was looking for her. Spike was. Oh god. No! He had walked in on them and hadn't even known it. Why hadn't he known it?  
  
Xander stumbled up the ladder and out the door. The cool evening air hit his face, and he breathed it in deeply, hoping to alleviate the pain crushing his chest. How could he have been so stupid, so blind? They had always been best friends: Buffy, Willow and himself: The three amigos. They had always there for each other. Not lately, though. How had they grown so far apart? And as for Spike, Xander was filled with rage and disgust. How could he touch Buffy with his unclean, blood stained demon hands? How could he kiss her with the mouth that had drained so many innocent lives? How could she let him? He felt like he was going to be sick.  
  
He bent over with his hands on his knees, and gulped air into his lungs then blew it back out. Finally he stood and took a few steps in the general direction of his car. "Anya. I need to go get Anya." he tried to concentrate his thoughts. He took a few more steps, then stopped as memories he had pushed aside come flooding back.  
  
How could he have forgotten the time just a few years ago when Spike had beat his head in and dragged Willow and him back to his castle for some fun and torture. Spike would have killed him outright, except that he wanted to keep him around as insurance so Willow would do that love spell for him. And Willow: Spike had held a broken bottle to her face and threatened to shove it into her brain.  
  
The only reason they hadn't killed Spike when they had the chance was because of the stupid chip in his brain. None of them felt like they could kill him when he was helpless against them. Time and time again they had all been thrown together to fight the good fight. At first everyone was distrustful of him and barely tolerated his presence. Then as time went by they all seemed to grow accustomed to having Spike around and even began to rely on him, especially after Buffy had died. And now she was sleeping with him, all because of the chip.  
  
Bitterly, he stated it aloud "I wish that chip was gone. I wish it was out of his head."  
  
As Xander continued walking toward his car. Halfrek stepped out from where she was lurking beside Spike's crypt. She reached up to her chest to touch the amulet hanging there. "Wish granted." 


	3. Part 3

The next evening Spike woke at sunset and the first thing he noticed was the fierce pounding behind his eyes. Slowly the memories of the previous day and evening came to him and he groaned. He sat up on the side of his bed fully dressed and held his head. He stood and made his way over to a table by the wall and poured a drink.  
  
"Bloody hell." He groaned. It had been so long since he'd gotten smashed he had forgotten how bad a hangover could feel. He changed his shirt and climbed upstairs. The crypt was still in ruins. He emitted a large long sigh, then resigned himself to the daunting task of setting things to rights.  
  
A few hours later, things were shaping up. He stopped to stare at his smashed telly and tried to decide on his best option for pinching a new one. Maybe Xander would give him his old one since he was setting up house with Anya. It was worth an ask.  
  
He heard a whooshing sound behind him and turned quickly to find Halfrek standing behind him. "You might want to issue a little warning before dropping in for a visit next time, pet. You were lucky to catch me when my reflexes were buggered."  
  
"William, it is you, isn't it? You don't seem very surprised to see me!" Halfrek was slightly taken aback. She took pride in eliciting more of a startled reaction.  
  
"Well, there you go. People seem to have a nasty habit of dropping in on me whenever. Manners aren't quite what they were in Victorian England." His eyebrows rose. "That is you under all the demon-face, innit it Cecily?" He already knew the answer.  
  
"Right you are William. It's been a long time." She waved her arm elaborately across her face and transformed to her human guise. "How odd that we should meet up again after all these years. The constable found your body in an alley and your mother had a burial. I had no idea."  
  
"It's not like I thought anyone would miss having me around. No, I moved on. After settling some scores, that is." He smiled fondly at the memory.  
  
"Ah yes." The demon nodded. "I did happen to lose a few friends after you died, particularly Ronald. He was killed rather gruesomely. Your handiwork? "  
  
"What can I say. He gave me the idea himself. Compared my poetry to having a railroad spike through his head. Thought I'd oblige the overstuffed poofter. So," he gestured toward Halfrek "how did you come to take up such an interesting trade?"  
  
He sat on the sarcophagus, lit a cigarette, and motioned for Halfrek to have a seat. She fussed with her manicure as she began, "I was called in the same manner as most vengeance demons. I had suffered quite a bit of mental anguish over my treatment at the hand of my parents. They were cold, and repressive. They only saw me as a means for marrying into wealth." She paused and looked up at Spike. "You have to know that's why I couldn't take you seriously William!" At his look of indifference she stood and paced around the room as she continued. "Anyway, I began looking for magical ways to retaliate. D'Hoffryn found me and offered me immortality in return for the use of my gifts. I found freedom from society's restrictions, much as you did." She smiled happily at him.  
  
"Freedom." He twisted his lips. "Right. I thought I was free until some scientists decided to monkey around in my noggin. Wired me up with some plastic bits." He grinned ruefully. "Freedom is a relative concept." He exhaled and snuffed out his cigarette.  
  
"Oh, but William, you are free!" Halfrek gushed. "Your good friend Xander saw to that."  
  
Spike was clueless. "What are you going on about?" He scowled. His head was still pounding dully.  
  
Halfrek continued airily, "As a wedding gift I granted Xander his most sincere wish. He is such a wonderful fellow. He didn't wish for riches for himself or eternal beauty for Anya. Instead, he wished that you would be free of the chip in your head. You must be his dearest friend for him to and bestow such a gift upon you. Of course, he is completely unaware of the gift." She wrinkled her nose happily at the memory. "I wanted it to be a total surprise. You can tell him!"  
  
"He wished my chip gone...?"  
  
"And now it is!"  
  
*****  
  
Anya was checking her inventory while Willow was at the table working on a research paper. Xander was bugging both of them. "So, Will, when you saw Buffy this morning, did she seem all right to you?"  
  
"Sure. We just had breakfast and listened to Dawn talk about boys again. I think the girl is boy-wonky. Buffy and I were never like that."  
  
Xander rolls his head in disbelief. "Oh! And I suppose Owen, Angel, Scott, Angel, Parker, Riley, Angel and Oz would agree with you."  
  
"Hey! Only one of those were mine." She grinned. "Besides, girls are fun to talk about too."  
  
"Speaking of that," Anya interrupted "When are you and Tara going to quit moping around and get back to having lesbian sex?"  
  
Xander quickly jumped in. "Sensitive subject, honey. Rule #8..."  
  
"Oh sorry." Anya didn't really look or sound sorry, "I keep getting the sensitivity rules confused. There are at least five."  
  
The bell on the door rang and Buffy and Dawn entered. "Hey guys." Buffy waved and looked around. Anya smiled in greeting as Willow returned the wave. Xander stiffened and looked at his fingertips.  
  
Buffy plopped down in a chair looking tired, "Another week at the Doublemeat behind me. You know they all seem to blend into each other. I think I'm getting into a rut." She pulled her mouth into a little pout.  
  
Xander snorted and snidely commented, "Maybe you need to find something to spice up your boring little existence."  
  
"Well, yeah. Maybe." Buffy wondered what brought that on. "Hey, you were supposed to call me last night."  
  
"I got sidetracked." Xander bit out.  
  
"He was twenty-five minutes late picking me up, and in a terrible mood too." Anya interjected. "Be glad he didn't call."  
  
Buffy was mystified, "I just wanted to know if everything was all right."  
  
Xander couldn't hold it in any longer. "Oh yeah, everything is just peachy keen. Nothing strange going on around here. Nope. Nobody keeping any secrets from their best friends. Nobody doing anything nasty with anybody nasty. No sir! Right as rain."  
  
Anya, Willow and Dawn looked astonished and gave him confused stares.  
  
Buffy was suddenly furious. and panicked, "Back room Xander. Now!"  
  
Xander stood without looking at anyone and stalked back to the training room, followed closely by Buffy. The other three women exchanged bewildered looks. Raised and muffled voices could be heard through the door.  
  
"What was that about?" Dawn wondered aloud.  
  
Anya shrugged her shoulders. "It beats the gee-willikens out of me." She returned to her counting.  
  
More muffled arguing could be heard. Dawn jumped at the sound of a hand banging the wall. There was silence for a beat, then softer discussion. Finally the door opened and Buffy emerged, followed by a somewhat subdued Xander.  
  
"There is something I need to go do." Buffy sighed, then turns to Dawn, "I'll be back soon. I promise."  
  
"OK. Whatever." Dawn plopped down on a chair and opened a schoolbook.  
  
Buffy had calmed down and did her best to smooth things over with her sister. "I'm really sorry Dawn, but I have to take care of this right now. I'll see you all later." Dawn didn't look up. Buffy picked up her bag, and with one last glance at her friends she left.  
  
Three pairs of curious eyes turn to gaze at Xander.  
  
He threw up his hands defensively. "What? I don't know! We just talked. That's all. Now she's gotta go."  
  
The girls continued to stare at him.  
  
He looked around desperately looking for something to distract all the female attention. He picked up a deck of cards, "Anyone for a round of poker?" He asked hopefully. "Anyone?"  
  
*****  
  
Spike was pulling on his leather coat preparing to go out for the evening when he felt a tingle at the back of his neck. He smiled and walks to open the door. "Buffy!" He gave her a warm smile. He hadn't known if she would ever be back.  
  
Buffy stormed past him and turned to look at him with a murderous expression on her face. "How could you do this to me?" She punched him hard in the nose.  
  
"OW!" Spike grabbed his nose. "Bloody hell! What are you.?"  
  
"You told Xander," Buffy spat out, "about us! What were you thinking?"  
  
Spike was indignant. "Like hell I did! He looked me up at Willy's. We had some drinks. I came home. End of story."  
  
Buffy moved closer, "He brought you home falling down drunk, and you proceeded to pour your heart out to him." She spat out between clenched teeth.  
  
Spike wrinkled his brow as he struggled to recall the events of the previous evening. "Oh. Right then. I might have mentioned you." He frowned. "I don't rightly remember much past leaving Willy's."  
  
Buffy was yelling now. "I could just kill you! Do you know how upset he is? I think he could have staked you last night. You're lucky to be alive!"  
  
Spike was getting angry now. His headache wasn't helping matters. "Make up your mind, luv. Do you want me alive or do you want me dead? More dead, I mean."  
  
"I don't want you at all! I've been so stupid!"  
  
Spike took a breath to calm down, then decided to try a different tact. He moved close to her and reached out to rub her arm with his fingertips. "C'mon pet, you know you don't mean that." He lowered his voice to a silky growl and leaned in very close to her. "I know what you want and I know how to give it to you."  
  
Buffy closed her eyes and began to soften, but then suddenly shoved him away with both hands. "Stay away from me! This has all been a huge mistake, and I can see that now. Nobody is ever going to accept this. I've neglected my friends and my sister. I don't even act like myself any more. I don't want to be around you any more." Wrapping her arms around herself she started to cry. "Just stay away from me, please." She turned away from him.  
  
"No, Buffy. You're just upset." He moved close again, but didn't attempt to touch her. "OK. I didn't mean to say anything to Xander, but you must know it was only a matter of time before he sussed it out."  
  
Buffy's teeth were clenched. "It doesn't matter." She turned back to face him. "Spike, this is wrong. We are wrong, and we both know it. It can never go anywhere. I can never really trust you. What happens some day when that chip stops working and you are off your leash? You'll just go back to eating people, then I will have to kill you."  
  
"No Buffy, I won't. You can trust me."  
  
"How can I know that?"  
  
Spike took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I know that luv, because the chip is gone."  
  
Buffy was bewildered. "The chip.?"  
  
"It's gone! Xander wished it out of my head. I didn't understand why until you told me what happened last night."  
  
"The vengeance demon?"  
  
"Now you're gettin' it. Yes, Halfrek. She paid me a visit and told me. But the point is that I don't feel any different! I don't want to go out and start eating people. I still love you." He pulled her closer to kiss her.  
  
"Stop it!" Buffy shrugged his hands from her shoulders and stepped back. "This is over. I can't ever trust you, especially now. You have to stay away from my friends. I don't want them near you when you decide you're hungry or they just catch you in a bad mood some day. And if you ever kill another human being your un-life will be over. Just get out of this town. I never want to see you again!"  
  
She stormed out of the crypt.  
  
Spike stood there dumbfounded and numb. A deep pain seized his heart, but this time he didn't feel like destroying his home. He stood still and motionless looking at the door for a long time. Finally he moved to it, opened it, and walked out.  
  
The door closed softly behind him. 


	4. Part 4

As usual, the Bronze was full to bursting on Friday night. Spike strolled in and paused for a moment to let the scent of concentrated humanity fill his head. He checked out the room, but saw no members of the Scooby gang. At least he doesn't have to worry about being run out based on Buffy's threats.  
  
At the thought of her, his stomach clenched and bitterness welled up in his throat. She had dismissed all his feelings and actions so easily. Hadn't the last two years meant anything to her? He had barely had a life, what with trying to live up to her standards and curbing his own natural impulses. It had been all for nothing - for less than nothing. Normally he could see through her pathetic attempts to hide her feelings. This time he knew she was dead serious. She was done with him.  
  
He walked gracefully across the room and noticed a beautiful brunette boldly watching his progress. He pointedly gazed back as he walked the floor, wondering who she was and why she had singled him out. She had large brown eyes, heavily made up, and full pouty painted lips. She was wearing a red tank top and black leather pants. There was something about her that was familiar, though he knew he's never seen her before. "Why not." He thought, and changed direction to stand beside her. He signaled the bartender to pour him a beer.  
  
The girl tilted her head at him flirtatiously. "You don't know me, do you?"  
  
"Should I?" Spike replied with a casual disinterest that fooled neither of them.  
  
"We met a few years ago. In this room, as a matter of fact." She took a sip of her drink, then licked her top lip. "I looked a lot different then."  
  
Spike shrugged dismissively, "Sorry, I don't remember. I meet a lot of people." He took a drink, pretending to glance around the room.  
  
The girl eyed him appreciatively. "I bet you do. You've had a lot of time to meet people too, haven't you?"  
  
He raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked at her. "So, you know what I am then, do you?"  
  
"Umm Hmm." She took another sip. "Do you dance?"  
  
"Not like most folks" He smirked.  
  
"Would you like to go somewhere?" She offered suggestively.  
  
She was certainly direct, this one. It reminded him of the old days when he went out patrolling for fresh blood. Finding it like this had always been pathetically easy for him. Some things never change. The difference this time was the girl knew he was a vampire. Why did she want to go off alone with him? He meant to find out. "After you."  
  
*****  
  
Buffy walked into The Magic Shop. The Gang was still assembled around the table playing cards. A radio was playing in the background.  
  
"Hey Buff. Did you get that little problem taken care of?" Xander inquired casually.  
  
"Yes. I don't think I will have to. deal. with that. problem any time soon." Buffy noticed they are playing cards. "Oh, Poker! So, who's gonna spot me some kittens." She paused as she realized it might not be so easy to put that 'problem' behind her.  
  
The song playing on the radio ended and a news bulletin rang out: "Los Angeles: Details from last night's prison break continue to trickle out. In all, it is believed that 8 inmates have escaped from the LA Women's Penitentiary. A dozen guards are confirmed dead. The ringleader is believed to be a woman in her early 20's named Faith Parker."  
  
"Oh my god. Faith!" Buffy moved closer to the radio. The rest of the gang abandoned the card game and stood to join her.  
  
The bulletin continued, "Two of the escapees have been apprehended. Information gathered by the police indicates that all of the fugitives have scattered. Miss Parker was last seen headed north toward Sunnydale. She is believed to be in the company of a man named Walter Barrows, an ex-con recently paroled after serving a sentence for armed robbery. If you see them do not attempt to stop them. They are considered to be extremely dangerous. Please contact your local authorities with any information."  
  
Buffy went into Slayer mode, "We have to find her and stop her. If she escaped last night she is probably in Sunnydale already. Anya, you take Dawn to your place. Faith won't show up there. Willow and Xander you come with me."  
  
"Where are we going?" Willow asked.  
  
"Where she could do the most damage. The Bronze." Buffy replied grimly.  
  
*****  
  
Faith entered Spike's crypt and looked around. "So this is where you crash? Sure beats where I've been hanging out. Not much of a view though." She plopped down in the chair and threw her leg over the arm.  
  
"I don't take much of a fancy to windows."  
  
"No, I suppose you wouldn't." She sat up straighter and fixed him with a sultry gaze. "So what's your story? You got a girlfriend?"  
  
The muscles in Spike's jaw tensed briefly. "No."  
  
"That's a total waste." Faith opined, "I can't believe Buffy never had the sense to try you out."  
  
Spike was getting more suspicious. "What do you know about the Slayer? And I don't think I caught your name."  
  
Faith rose smoothly and strolled over to him. She laid an arm over his shoulder and ran a finger across his bottom lip. "I'm surprised you haven't figured that out yet. I thought you were smarter than that." She patted his cheek and backed away. "I'm Faith."  
  
Spike's eyes widened for just a second, then his face became unreadable. "I see. The other Slayer."  
  
"That's me." She sauntered away from him. "And I'm not the "other" Slayer. I'm the "real" Slayer. She began to pace around the room, becoming increasingly agitated. "I am the chosen one. Buffy and her friends would like to keep me locked away so that she can get all the glory. They just don't get it. The rules don't apply to me." She stopped and smiled. She was suddenly calm again. "B's just been holding down my gig while I played nice girl, waiting for the chance to make my big move."  
  
"And you say we've met before." He couldn't believe he wouldn't remember her.  
  
"Yeah!" She smiled, then faked a big pout. "And I'm hurt that you don't remember. Of course, like I told you, I didn't look like this then. No, I was a skinny little thing with blond hair." She looked at him as realization set in. "Please! You had to know B would never come on to you like that! Not with that stick stuck up her butt."  
  
He realized what she was getting at. "Then it was you telling me."  
  
"...About all my special muscles and how I would ride you? But oh no, it was WRONG!" She laughed. "I think you promised me we'd have a confrontation, if you ever got that pesky little chip out of..."  
  
Spike cut her off. "I remember. I didn't realize, all this time." He moved away from her. He poured himself drink. "So you were trying to take over her life then, but you buggered that up. What's your grand scheme this time?"  
  
"I'm keeping it simple. I'm here to take back my turf, and I need Buffy out of the way. She hates you, and you hate her. I figure you can lure her out here. While she is busy trying to take you out, I show up and take her out. We both win. Everything is great. Five by five." She smiled again.  
  
"You become the only Slayer, and we have an agreement to stay out of each other's way." He understood her.  
  
"Exactly." She slinked toward him again. "Except for when we want to get in each other's way." She reached around to the back of his head and pulled him down to kiss him.  
  
Spike lifted his head slightly. "There is only one problem with your plan, pet." His voice is deadly calm and cold. "I'll spill your blood from your open guts before you ever touch a hair on her head."  
  
Spike's fist smashed into Faith's solar plexus, sending her flying across the crypt. With cat-like agility she twisted in the air and landed on her feet. Slightly hunched over she looked up at Spike, her eyes glowing with fury. "What is it with Vamp's falling for Goldilocks?" She spat out at him.  
  
She launched into full attack. Spike desperately fended off blows and kicks. He grunted as Faith landed a blow to his chin and sent him crashing into the furniture, smashing his bottle of Jim Beam under him. Faith pounced, straddling him, raining blows on him. She was out of control. "You are such a freaking idiot! I was offering you more than you deserve. And you want her instead of me?" She continued to rant as she pummeled him. Spike fended off blows with one hand and used the other to reach down and search for the remains the liquor bottle. Grasping the broken bottle by its neck, he slashed at the crazed slayer with it. She staggered back on her heels, blood pouring out of her wounded throat. A disbelieving look filled her eyes as she fell to her knees.  
  
Spike rose from the floor and sauntered over to her "OK so it was your throat, not your guts. Whatever works." Spike smirked with his pulped lips and reached down to pull her up by her hair. He looked directly into her face. "And nobody but me calls her Goldilocks!" His face transformed to fangs and ridges, his eyes full of yellow fury. He put his mouth to her wounded throat, and drank deep. 


	5. Part 5

Buffy, Willow and Xander entered The Bronze. It was alive with Friday night revelers. Buffy sighed as she took in the the almost solidly filled room. This was going to take a while. She began passing out assignments for the daunting search. "Xander, you head off over there" She pointed to the left. "Willow check by the bar. I'm going upstairs. If you spot Faith or find out something signal me up in the balcony. If you don't, then just ask around. If she was here, somebody had to see her. She's not alone, so find out who she was talking to, who she was with, anything."  
  
"Gotcha" Xander replied as he headed off.  
  
"Don't worry Buffy." Willow reassured her, "You've already kicked her skanky butt once. You'll get her again."  
  
"I hope so Will. I just wish Giles were here. And we could use some backup from Sp." She stopped, realizing what she had almost said. "We will find her. Let's go."  
  
Buffy took a slow stroll around the ground level, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. She passed under the stairs and stopped by the pole there. This is where she had caught up with Spike on the night Giles left town. He had come to comfort her and she had pushed him away again, until she had chased him down and found herself snogging with him. She smiled. That was his terminology. was being the operative word. She gave herself a mental scolding and continued on with her mission, her eyes darting right and left, looking for anything that resembled the darker slayer. She climbed the stairs, glancing around the room as she ascended. Everything appeared normal. People were dancing, playing pool, sitting at tables, laughing. There was no sign of Faith. As she reached the balcony and scanned the catwalk she glanced over to where just a few weeks before she and Spike.  
  
"I've got to stop this" Buffy muttered to herself. The search for Faith was more important that reliving her past mistakes. She glanced down to the ground level where a motion caught her eye. She turned her head toward the bar where Willow was waving enthusiastically, motioning for her to come down. Buffy managed to catch Xander's eye and pointed over to Willow and the bar. Within seconds they had all converged there.  
  
"What did you find out." Buffy asked.  
  
Willow was excited, "She was here earlier! The bartender said she left over an hour ago."  
  
Buffy nodded. "Was she with a man?"  
  
"Yes, but get this. She left with Spike!"  
  
"Spike?" Xander squeaked.  
  
Buffy shook her head slightly "Are you sure? I don't even think she knows Spike."  
  
"It was Spike." Willow confirmed. "The bartender already knows him, and it's not like he's real typical looking for anything."  
  
"That does it." Xander smacked his palm with his fist. "Chip or no chip, I'm killing him."  
  
"Let's go." Buffy was already on her way out the door.  
  
*****  
  
Spike stood over the body of the dead Slayer. He was filled with an elation that he hadn't felt in over two years, not since the chip had been implanted in his brain. At first he had railed against the invasion, doing everything within his power to have it removed. It made him broken, impotent. Eventually, he had learned to accept his limitations and had reveled in the knowledge that it was only harming humans that caused the debilitating pain. Once he had realized that he couldn't feed on live humans anymore he had pushed the memories of those experiences out of his mind. He had fooled himself into believing the thrill of violence was all that he had missed from his former life. That thrill that was fed by allying himself with the Buffy and helping her kill demons.  
  
Now after tasting the spoils of his kill, the euphoria came flooding back. He felt strong, energized, invincible! The Slayer's power was coursing through his veins, enhancing his own supernatural strength.  
  
"Looks like you've just bagged number three, Spike old boy." The words were proud but his tone was not. He felt no remorse. She was a nasty little bint, and it was her destiny to die young. Still, he knew that when Buffy discovered what he had done, his days were numbered. His elation dissipated as the impact of what he had done flooded over him. Buffy no longer had a reason to let him live. Now that he could feed his bloodlust he knew he wouldn't stop. He might pick on the more unsavory members of society, but he won't stop. It went against every aspect of his nature. His shoulders drooped and he exhaled with resignation. His face returned to it's human countenance, and he raised his hand to wipe the Slayer's blood from his face.  
  
As he studied at the blood covering his fingers he heard a whooshing sound behind him. He didn't need to turn his head to know who was there. "Back for another visit, are you Cecily? I'll say that your timing could be better."  
  
"I sensed some strong emotions. What's happened here William?"  
  
Spike reluctantly turned to face her "I have finally reverted to form pet. I have your gift to thank for it."  
  
Halfrek was puzzled. "You were ecstatic a few moments ago, now you are not. Why?"  
  
He sighed. "In doing what I was made to do, I've sealed my fate."  
  
"And what is your fate, except for what you choose it to be?"  
  
"Buffy, the Slayer, will kill me now. And I won't stop her." His voice reflected the resignation that filled him.  
  
"That doesn't make sense William. You don't have to die at her hand."  
  
"What else is there for me?"  
  
She moved close to him. "You can come away with me. I have almost unlimited power. I could grant you any wish."  
  
He shook his head to stop her words, but she continued. "William, listen to me." She turned his face with her hand and looked into his eyes. "You loved me once when we were both pathetic mortals. Now we are both immortal. Worlds can be ours for the taking."  
  
"What is it with you bloody women tonight?" He shrugged away from her. He found his chair and lit a cigarette. He inhaled deeply, and expelled the smoke slowly. "Cecily, that pathetic ninny William had the hots for you. I'm not him. I haven't been since the day I was turned. He's off writing his silly musings while sitting on a cloud up in happy land. I am in love with the one woman who will never love back because of what I am." He smirked at the irony. "History does have a way of repeating itself, doesn't it, luv?"  
  
"William, it doesn't have to be the same. I see you through different eyes now."  
  
"If you truly see me, then you know I will never be yours." He turned his face away and glanced down at the crypt floor. "Shove off now. Don't you have some bloody havoc to wreak?"  
  
Halfrek glared at him angrily for a moment, then with an elaborate wave of her arms, she was gone. Spike stood and gazed at the empty spot where the vengeance demon had been a second before, then shrugged his shoulders and turned to the body of the dead girl on the floor. "Well sweetheart, I guess it's time I find you a resting place." He picked up Faith's limp form and carried it toward the door.  
  
*****  
  
Buffy, followed by Xander and Willow, strode into the cemetery. She was walking purposefully toward Spike's crypt, and had not spoken since the three had left the Bronze. Xander stopped, winded, and bent over with his hands on his knees.  
  
"Hey Buffy... you wanna slow it down a little? Normal humans in your wake, here."  
  
Willow stopped beside him also out of breath, and nodded in agreement.  
  
Buffy stopped and turned impatiently toward her best friends. "I just want to get this over with."  
  
Willow, between gasps, questioned her. "Do we have a plan? Like, what are we going to do? Knock on the door and say, 'Excuse me Spike, but did you happen to find a spare Slayer hanging around, and what are you doing with her anyway?' I don't even know what he would want with Faith. It's not like he's been interested in anybody since he decided he was in love with Buffy."  
  
Buffy and Xander both glared at her.  
  
Willow was confused by their reactions. "Or then again, maybe there is a perfectly logical explanation for why a vampire who can't fight humans would go to the Bronze and pick up a criminally insane super powered prison escapee who *kills* vampires in her more lucid moments."  
  
"Point taken." Xander turned to Buffy "Do we have a plan?"  
  
"First of all, I should probably let you know something." Buffy took a deep breath. "Spike can hurt humans again."  
  
Xander was stunned. "What? When? How?"  
  
Buffy glared at him pointedly. "Last night. Apparently a certain friend of mine was overheard making a wish for his chip to be removed."  
  
"Who would do something that stupid?"  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Who do you think? Who was here last night making wishes?"  
  
"Me?" Understanding dawned on him. "I'm stupid." He closed his eyes. "Halfrek. She must have been here in the cemetery last night! Why would she be granting me a wish?"  
  
"Well she spent the whole day with Anya." Willow interrupted. "There's no telling what she was thinking."  
  
Xander was dismayed. "Oh no! Now what are we going to do?"  
  
Buffy was firm. "We are going to go over there and see if anybody is home. We'll play the rest by ear."  
  
Xander shrugged. Willow nodded. They all resumed walking toward the crypt.  
  
As they approached the door it opened and Spike emerged with Faith's body dangling from his arms. Traces of her blood were still visible on his face and his hands. They all stopped dead in their tracks, completely horrified.  
  
"No!" Buffy cried.  
  
Willow began to ask "Is she...?"  
  
"Dead." Xander stated. The realization sank in, "My god, she's dead."  
  
Buffy was completely bewildered. "What did you do?" Her eyes begged Spike to deny the obvious.  
  
Spike bent over to lay Faith's body down. As he did her head flopped over and they could see her mangled neck. He straightened slowly and looked at Buffy. "It's pretty clear what happened, Innit?"  
  
"You killed her?" Buffy's eyes began to fill with tears. "You drank her?"  
  
"You were right all along luv. I'm an evil bloodsucking fiend. It's what I do."  
  
"Why? Why did you do this?" Her tears were flowing freely now.  
  
"For you pet. She was going to try to kill you. I couldn't very well let her do it, now could I?" Spike's voice was filled with quiet dignity and resignation.  
  
Xander interrupted their exchange. "Where is the guy?"  
  
"What guy?" Spike had no idea what Xander was talking about.  
  
"The boyfriend guy... She escaped from prison today and hooked up with a man. His name is..." Xander tried to remember, but couldn't. "Willow, what was the guy's name."  
  
Willow lifted her hands. She couldn't remember either.  
  
A voice came from above "Walter."  
  
They looked up. There was a man standing on top of the crypt. He was large with bushy dark hair and a pockmarked face. He was wearing a short leather jacket and dark jeans over boots. The gun in his hand was aimed at Buffy's head.  
  
"My name is Walter and your friend has just killed my woman. Now I'm going to kill all of you." He pulled the trigger, but Buffy reflexes kicked in and she was able to duck and roll out of the way. The bullets missed her, thudding harmlessly into the earth. Walter continued to fire at the rapidly moving slayer. Suddenly, he was knocked off his feet and the gun was ripped from his hands. He barely had time to register Spike's presence on the roof of the crypt before he was flung to the ground.  
  
Xander ran over to the downed felon and rained blows to his head and face. Willow added some kicks his legs. Spike jumped back down to the ground to help, but Walter was already unconscious.  
  
"We need something to hold him." Xander looked around, but found nothing "What I wouldn't do for a pair of handcuffs."  
  
Buffy and Spike exchanged a quick look. "I'll be right back." Spike said, then stepped inside his crypt. Buffy and Willow walked over to look at Walter lying a few feet away from Faith's body. Nobody could believe what had happened.  
  
"What are we going to do about Faith?" Willow wanted to know.  
  
Xander had a different concern. "What are we going to do about Spike?"  
  
Buffy answered them both "I just don't know..."  
  
Spike emerged holding his handcuffs. As he prepared to toss them to Xander, he noticed a movement behind a tombstone. Two other men were there. One carried a shotgun and the other had a crossbow. Both weapons were trained on Buffy's back. In the split second before they were fired, a memory flashed through Spike's mind:  
  
"I want you to know I did save you. Not when it counted, of course. But after that. Every night after that. I'd see it all again, do something different. Faster or more clever, you know? Dozens of times, lots of different ways... Every night I save you."  
  
It seemed to happen in slow motion. Spike made a huge leap from the front of the crypt. Buffy heard his voice yelling "Down!" as he sailed over her head. She fell to the ground, pulling Xander and Willow down with her. She looked up to see Spike's body jerking as the shotgun shells tore through him, and she heard the dull thud as the bolt from the crossbow was buried in his chest. Distantly she heard her own voice screaming "Nooooooooo..." as his body fell to the earth and disintegrated into dust. 


	6. Part 6

~Somewhere between dimensions~  
  
The demon Spike stood in the center of the great room with numerous doorways that lead to hallways that seemed to have no end. He was in his pure form: all horns and fangs and claws. He tried to speak, but the only sounds that eminated from his mouth were growls and roars. He could hear disembodied voices coming from all directions. He tried to concentrate on what they were saying, but there were so many talking over each other. Some of them were masculine and some were feminine. Some were shouts and some were whispers. His confusion grew. A hand touched his shoulder and a clear, human sounding voice belonging to a tall, armor covered demon spoke to him.  
  
"Just remain calm." the Demon cheerfully encouraged him. "Pretty soon something will start to make sense."  
  
"Grrr rowl nnn gorrnn?"  
  
"Oh, excuse me, I should have introduced myself." He extended a hand "I'm Skip." Seeing that his outstretched hand was being ignored, he continued. "I'm here to guide you."  
  
"Runger rwwwer?"  
  
"Nah, you're OK. Vampire demons don't have lips. Just big teeth. Makes it hard to talk." Skip reassured him. "You're fortunate I'm fluent in snarling."  
  
"Awrgrrn gererer. Ennrrrer oohrn?"  
  
"Them? They are The Powers. They are debating your fate. If you try tuning in on their thoughts instead of their voices, you will begin to understand."  
  
Spike tried to tune out the physical sound of the voices. Eventually he was able to pick up on stray thoughts.  
  
"We have no place for him. He has killed too many of our kind." "Evil." "Helped avert the last two apocalypses." "Good choices." "There is no place in the heavenly realms for a demon." "Can anything good come from the Hellmouth?" "What vampire realm will have him?" "No." "A noble death." "A wasted life."  
  
"This has been going on for hours." Skip leaned over to tell him "The arguments don't really change."  
  
"Eeenngen arrnerah-ah-ah."  
  
Yes, it's quite the conundrum. It seems you're an evil demon who performed a lot of human good: saving the world, dying for humans. They don't know what to do with you. This could go on for days.  
  
A very loud booming voice interrupted. The other voices were immediately silenced.  
  
"It's the Big Guy." Skip whispered. "This almost never happens."  
  
Spike tried to absorb what the new voice was saying, but it was too huge and overwhelming. Soon all was silent. Skip nodded and took Spike by the arm. "You can come with me now. The Big Guy has decided on a new option for you."  
  
*****  
  
Giles walked up to the door of the nondescript Brownstone just off Haymarket in London. The title "Travers and Associates" was stenciled on the door. A quiet buzzer sounded as he opened it and entered the hall. A receptionist sat at an imposing desk at the end. She glanced up Giles approached her.  
  
"Good morning Mr. Giles. Mr. Travers asked that you report to his office directly upon arrival."  
  
Giles nodded "Yes, thank you."  
  
He climbed a staircase to the right and walked to the office located at the end of the hall. He stopped for a moment to knock at the door of Quentin Travers' office before opening the door. He heard the voice of the head of the Watcher's Council. "Come in Rupert. Close the door behind you. Please."  
  
Giles did as instructed and approached Travers' desk. "You said you had a special project for me." He was impatient. There was no love lost between he and his superior on the Council.  
  
"You might want to sit down for this." Travers motioned to one of the leather wing chairs.  
  
Giles sat and sighed. "Please, do go on."  
  
"Yes, well then, we have been approached with a very intriguing opportunity which I feel you are uniquely qualified to oversee."  
  
"Can we cut through all the pompous rhetoric and find the point?"  
  
Now Travers sighed "Very well then." He depressed a button on his desk. "Mr. Browning, will you come in please?"  
  
Giles glanced up to see a slender young man in a suit enter the room. Giles stood to greet him, then almost fell to the floor as his knees went weak. There were some differences, but..."  
  
"Oh lord." Giles walked over to him to get a closer look. He was astonished "It is you. How...?"  
  
Travers rose also. "It is quite extraordinary, actually. Please gentlemen have a seat and I will try to explain.  
  
*****  
  
It's was morning, and Buffy was trying to get Dawn ready for school. "Dawn, hurry up! Xander is going to be here any minute." She yelled up the stairs.  
  
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Dawn called down from her room,.  
  
She tromped heavily down the steps. Buffy marveled about how a kid who only weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet could sound like a water buffalo coming down the stairs.  
  
She handed Dawn her lunch and opened the door just as Xander sounded his car horn.  
  
"Bye, Buffy. See ya later!" Dawn gave Buffy a quick hug and ran out. Buffy stood in the doorway and watched her climb into the car. She waved as they drove away before closing the door and walking back to the kitchen to clean up the mess from breakfast.  
  
It had been a hard six months for all of them, with a lot of changes. Spike's death had affected everyone much more profoundly than they ever would have guessed.  
  
Immediately after his ashes fell to the ground Buffy had become enraged beyond reason. She was on the two attackers before they could run more than a few yards. She had stripped the one of his shotgun and hit him in the head with it before breaking it across the legs of the second. By the time the police had arrived all three men were unconscious and tied in restraints. The cops had asked very few questions and Faith was considered to be the victim of her fellow escapees. No mention was ever made of her neck wound or the fact that her body had been drained of blood. This was nothing unusual in Sunnydale.  
  
Xander had been consumed with guilt. In spite of all the harsh words he'd always had for Spike, he had never really wanted to see him dusted. He blamed himself for the removal of the chip and the events afterward. He and Anya had fought bitterly over Halfrek's role, but had made up in time for their wedding three weeks ago. Giles had been unable to attend due to a project he was working on for the Watcher's Council in London.  
  
Dawn had been inconsolable at the news about Spike. It was one more horrifying loss in the course of her young life. She had withdrawn even more into herself before finally opening up and turning back to Buffy. The sisters were finally close again, closer than they had ever been. Buffy had dedicated all of her non-working time to Dawn and they had both grown because of it.  
  
Willow had worked things out with Tara, The two of them had banded together to help Buffy and Dawn deal with this latest loss and they were now sharing a dorm room and attending college full time. They often came over on Fridays and the weekends to visit. Tara was a gem, and Buffy would have become completely disconnected from her friends if it hadn't been for her understanding. Now Tara's energies were concentrated on Willow, as they should have been.  
  
Buffy never went out to the Bronze any more. Everywhere she looked there were painful memories that she couldn't share with anyone. The first time she laid eyes on Spike had been in the alley there where she had just killed another vampire. He had told her that he would kill her that Saturday night. How ironic it was that he ended up saving her. Except for Tara, Xander was the only person who knew the whole truth about her relationship with Spike, and he was too guilt-ridden to confide in with her grief. Her pain would just make him feel worse. The depth of her feelings dismayed her. Spike had been her mortal enemy, her nemesis, the thorn in her side, her uneasy ally, her companion, her protector, her second in command, her confidante, her lover, and finally her savior.  
  
After all this time, she still didn't totally understand why losing Spike had such a deep affect on her. She understood missing his irritating companionship and his help on her nightly patrols, but her grief went much deeper than that. She still did not use the word love in reference to him. She could not accept that she could love a creature with no soul who preyed upon those she was born to protect. Still, she had only felt this despair on two other occasions: when she killed Angel and when she lost her mother.  
  
Buffy shook herself out of her reverie and returned her attention back to her housework. She closed the dishwasher and turned it on, then proceeded to wipe down the kitchen table. The doorbell interrupted her. She opened it to find Giles standing there. She immediately jumped into his arms and held him tightly. "Oh Giles!"  
  
Giles returned her embrace, but sound oddly strangled. "Mmmm Buffy. A little less firm, if you please!" She eased up. "Thank you." He looked at her fondly. "I've missed you Buffy."  
  
"Please come in. It is so good to see you. Why didn't you call to let me know you were coming."  
  
Giles sat on the couch beside her. "Actually Buffy, I am here on Council business, and this is a matter of some sensitivity. I didn't want to contact you until the time was right."  
  
"The Watcher's Council needs my help?" Buffy had her doubts. "Giles, you know these things never go well."  
  
"I think you will want to be involved this time. It deals with... with someone you know."  
  
"Who?"  
  
Now Giles was searching for words. "I...I...I don't quite know how to tell you this. This involves Spike."  
  
"Spike? How?" It was the last name she had expected to hear from Giles.  
  
He paused, looking for the right words to explain to her. "Buffy, it seems that after Spike died, the Powers That Be didn't quite know what to do with him."  
  
"What do you mean? He was gone."  
  
"His presence here on earth was gone, but the Demon entity still existed. There are various dimensions and levels in the netherworld for demons, just as there are for humans.  
  
Buffy was confused. She had no idea where Giles was going with this.  
  
"Normally," He continued "after a vampire is killed, he is sent to a hell dimension for vampire demons."  
  
"Normally?"  
  
"Er.. yes." Giles stopped to wipe his glasses. "Spike presented quite a perplexity. You see, the vampire realm didn't want him..."  
  
"Didn't want him? They have a choice?"  
  
Giles nodded. "It would seem so. And none of the other demon realms felt he fit in either. As you know, vampires are rather looked down upon by other demon groups, since they are so reliant on humans. Spike was a vampire demon who chose not to live like a vampire. Now there are some places for demons that are helpful to mankind, but Spike had been responsible for the deaths of three Slayers. Quite a... blot, I guess you could say, on his record."  
  
"Go on."  
  
"As you can imagine, the heavenly dimensions had no place for him either. He had killed thousands of humans and lived off of their misfortunes for well over a hundred years. Yet he had also helped to save the world on more that one occasion, and he died in a rather, well, noble way."  
  
Buffy looked down at her hands clasped in her lap, memories flashing through her again. "It's sort of like before he was dusted. He never really fit in anywhere here either. We could never figure out what to do with him." She furrowed her brow. "Giles, how do you know all this?"  
  
"That would be the purpose of my visit." He gazed at Buffy intently, his eyes urging her to listen closely. "Buffy, The Powers brought him to the Watcher's Council. They've asked that we help him find a new life"  
  
"Ok, now I really don't understand. He's gone... dead."  
  
"No Buffy, he's back." Giles told her gently, "And he's alive."  
  
Giles rose from the couch and opened the front door. "You can come in now."  
  
Buffy stood and stared in astonishment as Spike walked in from the bright sunlight. There was no smoking blanket this time. His expression is cautious and guarded as he turned to look at her. Emotions briefly flickered across his blue eyes as they gazed into hers, wide and astonished. Time seemed to stop for a beat, and then she heard his low, smooth voice.  
  
"Hello, cutie."  
  
She fainted. 


	7. Part 7

Buffy awoke to find herself lying on the couch, a pillow under her head. Giles was sitting on the coffee table beside her, holding her hand. Spike walked in from the kitchen holding a cup of tea on a saucer. Buffy pulled herself up slightly, somewhat disoriented.  
  
"So it's real." She said softly.  
  
"Quite real.' Giles assured her.  
  
"She gonna be all right?" Spike sounded concerned.  
  
"I'm fine." She took the cup and saucer from Spike's hands, suddenly overcome with shyness. "Thank you." She glanced at him, then took a quick sip. "Ooh, ah ah. Hot!"  
  
"Sorry. I'll take that." Spike reached and took the cup from her. His hands touched hers. They were warm.  
  
Buffy gazed up at him with wonder, then looked to Giles. "How?" She had so many questions she couldn't quite begin to form them.  
  
"Well, I told you how he was brought to the Watchers, but I haven't told you why. The Powers had been presented with a demon that didn't want to be a demon. He couldn't be punished and he couldn't be rewarded. Finally they..." He glanced over at Spike, then back to Buffy, "they decided to give him a new life, and... and a chance to live it on his own terms."  
  
Buffy looked over at Spike sitting in the chair beside the couch. She was at a complete loss for words. Giles cleared his throat as the two younger people gazed at each other. "Now, if you'll both excuse me, I need to take care of some business. I will leave you two alone for a while to... to get reacquainted."  
  
Neither responded as Giles rose to take his leave. With one last look back, he left the house.  
  
Buffy finally broke the silence. "So... how does it feel?"  
  
"Bein' alive, you mean?" He considered this for a moment. "Not too bad actually. Took a little getting used to, feeling the heart beatin' and the whole in-out breathing thing. I think I've got that down now." He gave her a little grin.  
  
"How long were you gone? How long have you been back?"  
  
"I can't rightly tell you how long I was gone. Other-dimension wonky time and all that. It seemed like a few hours, but I was presented to the Watchers two months ago. They handed me over to Giles after about a month."  
  
"You're why he couldn't come back for the wedding." He nodded. "You look... different."  
  
"I'm sure you mean the darker hair." He gestured toward the top of his head. "I got my body back in its pure unadulterated form. The Watchers weren't big on buyin' me my hair dye. They didn't find it dignified." He smiled slightly, finding the idea amusing.  
  
"And your scar. It's gone too."  
  
He nodded again. Another uncomfortable silence followed. Finally, Spike grinned.  
  
"What?" Buffy wanted to know what he was thinking.  
  
"This just reminds me of the first time you invited me into your house. You left me sitting out here with your Mum. We had trouble finding things to talk about too."  
  
Buffy smiled wistfully at the memory. "I don't know why I wasn't afraid that you'd try to eat her."  
  
"Me neither. I didn't really think about it though. I never did with your Mum."  
  
Buffy smiled again. "So that really is you in there? You are... "  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, who are you exactly? You're not a vampire, but you were human first..."  
  
"I'm me. I'm not that sissy William."  
  
"Sissy? You told me you had always been bad."  
  
"And you've always believed everything I told you?" He smiled, shaking his head. "I'll have to tell you all about poor William some day. The git didn't have much going for him. His memories are all that are left in here. The rest is me, just not a demon any more."  
  
"So, do you... have a soul now?"  
  
"Comes with the human package, don' it?"  
  
"I guess..." The conversation was suddenly uncomfortable. "Look, can I get you anything?" She remembered something. "Oh! I have something that's yours!"  
  
She ran up the stairs. After she left the room, Spike rose and looked around the house, reacquainting himself with his surroundings. Buffy, meanwhile, was in her room. She pulled open the drawer by her bed. She reached in and touched Spike's lighter, laying next to her diary. She wrapped her fingers around it, smiled softly, then rans back downstairs. He was not in the living room. She walked down the hall. He wasn't in the kitchen either. She looked out the kitchen door and smiled again. She opened the door and walk out to the porch to join him in the sunlight.  
  
"There you are." She sat to his right on the top step. "Here."  
  
She handed him his lighter. His eyes flickered again for a moment. Again their hands touched. And lingered.  
  
Spike pulled away reluctantly. "My lighter. Funny. I won't really be needing it anymore."  
  
"No?"  
  
"Tried to light up my third day back. Coughed so hard thought I was going to lose a lung." He smiled and shook his head. "Bloody things will kill you!"  
  
"So I've heard." There was another silence, comfortable this time. "Spike?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"What are your plans? Do you have to find a job or a place to live?"  
  
"Giles didn't tell you?" Buffy shook her head. "Well then, it seems I get to bear the happy tidings. I'm a Watcher now Buffy. I'm your Watcher."  
  
*****  
  
Anya handed a wrapped parcel to a customer dressed in gothic black with lots of piercings. She eyed the chain connecting the girl's nose ring to her earlobe. "Now, you'll want to be careful when you rub these stones together. The sparks can jump, you know. I've seen people with chainmail sustain quite serious burns. You could be at risk."  
  
The girl didn't respond, but took her package and left. As she exited Giles walked in.  
  
"Giles!" Anya was surprised to see him. "What are you doing back? The shop is fine. I make a tidier profit than you did, so you can't have it back."  
  
He was carrying a large cardboard box that appeared to be full of books. "Good Anya, I'm relieved to hear it." Giles realized that he has missed her quirkiness, but only a little bit. "Actually I'm here with business proposition for you."  
  
At the his words her eyes lit up. Business and Proposition: two concepts that were completely up her alley. "Have a seat Giles." She hurried over the door to turn the "Open" sign to "Closed". For extra insurance, she locked the door. She stopped to smooth her hair behind her ears, then sat at the table across from her former business associate.  
  
"OK Giles, shoot. I'm ready."  
  
"And its very nice to see you too again, Anya" Giles responded lightly.  
  
"Oh. Did I forget the greeting again?"  
  
"Not to worry. Now, I was wondering if I might be able to rent some space from you in the shop."  
  
"Did you want me to figure the price in square feet or just offer a flat monthly rate? Also, I will probably include an in-out fee."  
  
Giles removed his glasses and wiped them with his handkerchief. "Anya, I see that this is not a new concept for you."  
  
"Of course not Giles." She dismissed the implication with a wave of her hand. "Consignment and storage are the wave of the future!"  
  
"Fascinating." Giles turned and gestured to his box. "I have some more of these outside in my car, probably enough to fill about 6 shelves. Of course there will be more in the future."  
  
"Are you moving back to Sunnydale."  
  
"Actually, no. I am helping a new...uh... Watcher set up in town."  
  
Anya leaned forward, "A new Watcher? What for? Buffy's been doing fine without any help."  
  
"Thank you Anya." Giles tried not to be stung by her words, considering their source, but it did touch on some tenderness inside of him. "I had every certainty that Buffy would be fine. This Watcher is here to train. He will work with Buffy initially since she is already familiar with our duties. After his training is complete, he will move on. With Faith's death it is only a matter of time before a new Slayer is called."  
  
"Oh. So we will be meeting a new stuffy English gentleman?"  
  
Giles paused for a moment to consider how he wanted to answer her. "Well, Anya, not exactly." He stood. "Call everybody together tonight at six. I'll bring him by then. I will go out now and bring in the rest of the books for his library."  
  
As he reached the door Anya called after him "I'll have your contract ready then."  
  
"Of that, I had no doubt." he replied with a smile.  
  
*****  
  
It was four o'clock. Buffy glanced at her watch again. Dawn would be home any minute. Janice's mother was dropping her off. Buffy had called the Doublemeat Palace that before her shift was to start at eleven and told them she wouldn't be in. She and Spike had talked until she noticed he couldn't hold back his yawns. It was his first experience with jet lag and he had already been up for over twenty hours. She had sent him upstairs to her mother's room for a nap. Occasionally she could hear a deep resounding snore. It made her smile. She had never heard him do that before.  
  
She was still in somewhat of a state of disbelief over his sudden reappearance in her life. Except for the physical changes he was very much the same as he used to be. He had the same snarky sense of humor and lack of tact. His vocal inflections and expressions were all the same. Still, there was something very reserved about him. He was holding part of himself back. She sensed he still had some feelings for her, but he hadn't tried to make any physical advances. She couldn't help but to be a little disappointed. She was curious about what it would be like to touch him now that he was a living, breathing man. Maybe all of this was still too new and overwhelming for him, and that was why he seemed so distant.  
  
Speaking of that man, he was still up there sawing logs. He had slept for several hours now. Should she go up to wake him? Yes, that was a good idea. It was never right for a jet-lagged man to sleep all day. It just took him longer to adjust. At least, that's what Giles and her father had always told her. And if she had to shake him or squeeze him a little to rouse him, well, that was all the better!  
  
She was headed up the steps when the door opened and Dawn came in. Rats! She put a smile on her face and turned. "Hi Dawn."  
  
"Buffy." Dawn was surprised "What are you doing home?"  
  
"I took the day off. I have a huge surprise for you. Come on. Lets sit down."  
  
"OK shoot." This had to be good. Buffy never shirked her working duties for anything, not lately.  
  
"Giles came back to visit today..."  
  
"Giles? Really? Where is he?"  
  
"He left to take care of some business and to get some rest, but he will be back in about an hour."  
  
Dawn looked disappointed that she had to wait to see him. Buffy hurried to continue. "But Dawn, there's more. He brought somebody with him and it is such a miracle. You'll never believe it."  
  
Dawn still looked disappointed. "I don't care who he brought with him. I'd rather see Giles than anybody, unless they have figured out a way to bring Spike back."  
  
She noticed Buffy's startled expression, then she screamed and jumped to embrace Buffy. "Is it him Buffy? Is it Spike? Please please please say yes."  
  
Buffy's eyes misted with tears at seeing her sister's joy. She nodded her head and said with a breaking voice, "Yes."  
  
Dawn looked up at the stairs and screamed with glee again. Spike was standing on the steps. Dawn ran across the room and launched herself up to him. She hugged him and kissed his cheeks and wept all over him. He seemed to be greeting her back just as enthusiastically. His smile was huge.  
  
"So much for my theory on his reserve." Buffy muttered to herself.  
  
"Ah.. Nibblet. Go a little easy. You're about to dislocate my shoulder there."  
  
"Sorry!" They were back in the living room now. Dawn was full of questions. "How did this happen? Why are you here in the daytime? Is this a spell or something?"  
  
Buffy interrupted, "Dawn, give him a little room. We'll tell you what happened."  
  
Dawn sat and pulled Spike down on the couch beside her, still holding his hand. "OK, tell me everything!" She paused and looked down at their joined hands and suddenly realized... "Spike, you're warm!" 


	8. Part 8

Two months.  
  
Spike had been back in Sunnydale for two months.  
  
It had been the most frustrating two months of her life.  
  
Buffy was in the training room taking her frustrations out on the punching bag. "You annoying," Thwack "smart alecky," Thwack "blond," Thwack "smirking," Thwack "junk food eating," Thwack "jerk!" Thwack Thump Thwack Thwack.  
  
She stopped and stepped back, winded. Her skin was covered with a fine sheet of sweat. She had been in here working out for the better part of an hour, and the more she worked, the more worked up she became.  
  
Two months of seeing him every day and patrolling with him occasionally. In all the time she had spent mourning his death, she had never once remembered how completely annoying Spike was. Completely. And she couldn't even punch him in the nose anymore. She missed punching him in the nose. Some nights, she even dreamed about punching him in the nose.  
  
Giles had never annoyed her. Well maybe sometimes, just a little. But with Spike the aggravation never stopped.  
  
He also never touched her. At least he never touched her in a way that wasn't impersonal or related to helping her adjust her fighting stance. Some nights she came in from a successful night of patrolling in the mood to mix it up some more with her old sparring partner. Invariably he would either be sitting at the research table with his nose buried in yet another Watcher's Diary, or he wouldn't be in at all. He would be out rustling up a poker game somewhere or playing pool and drinking beer at the Bronze.  
  
Some nights he came in sporting a black eye or split lip. He didn't go in at all for the more sedate activities preferred by the other members of the Watcher's Council. He called them all poofters. He felt he could get more information on the flow of evil around town by keeping his ear to the ground. He was already fluent in several demon dialects and knew first-hand the habits and inner workings of the vampire society, so why should he spend all of his time studying ancient texts for second-hand accounts, particularly since many were inaccurate? He had become almost unglued when he read one account about his own turning that would have put his age somewhere around two hundred. "Bleedin' idiot." He had muttered repeatedly.  
  
Last night after Buffy had returned from patrol, he had been out yet again. She had decided to track him down. He was at the Bronze again, chatting up a tall curvy blonde. Buffy had hated her on sight. Spike evidently hadn't. Buffy had stormed up and insinuated herself between the couple. Spike had just glared at her with his nostrils flaring.  
  
"I need to talk to you" she spat out.  
  
"I'll talk to you later," he had replied, frowning down at her. "I'm busy now."  
  
They had glared at each other for a good twenty seconds before she turned and stomped out. Grrr. The women! More often than not when she tracked him down here he was nuzzling up to some woman. OK, maybe nuzzling wasn't exactly what he was doing, but he certainly was enjoying talking to them and, heaven help her, listening to them. How could he spend so much of his time listening to other women when she as there, waiting for him?  
  
Tonight she had shown up at seven for their scheduled training session and he was now almost an hour late, if he was going to show at all.  
  
"Lousy excuse for a Watcher if you ask me." she snerked before swinging her leg up and around to connect with the head of the workout mannequin.  
  
"I guess that would be me you are bitchin' about again, pet."  
  
Her concentration was shattered and she missed the dummy completely, landing unceremoniously on her butt. She turned furious eyes toward him.  
  
"And where have you been while I've been in here working my ass off?" She confronted him angrily.  
  
"I didn't know I answered to you, luv. Thought it worked the other way around." His voice was calm, almost flippant. "Besides, it was my understanding that you had outgrown the need for a Watcher. I'm just for show, isn't that how you see it?"  
  
This just angered her more. She stood up and brushed off her bottom and stalked up to him. "Look, I agreed to take you on for your little training period. So far I am the only one who seems to be interested in doing any... training. I'm trying to work a full time job and take care of Dawn. The least you could do is be on time when you even bother to make time for me."  
  
Her anger didn't faze him. He could still see through her. "Is that what's bothering you pet? I'm not making enough time for you?"  
  
"No!" She swung a fist at him. He easily blocked and ducked her blow. He no longer had the super strength or invulnerability that he did as a vampire, but his reflexes were excellent and he was very agile. She swung at him two more times and he ducked both of those blows as well. "Ahhh" she yelled in frustration and launched herself at him. He turned to the side at the last moment and she flew by him, landing on the floor on her side.  
  
"Tsk tsk Slayer. You're going to have to do better than that. This is your calling, remember?"  
  
She kicked out with her feet and caught his ankles. He lost his balance and fell, landing half on top of her. He moved to get up, but she grasped his shoulders and flipped him onto his back. She was breathing hard and her eyes lock on his mouth. She noticed that he was breathing hard too, and he had hardly exerted himself. She lowered her face closer to his. She could feel his breath on her cheeks. She let go of his arms to grasp his face. She felt his hands travel up her arms to her shoulders. She closed her eyes and lowered her mouth to his. Suddenly she found herself on her back again and he was up, backing away from her.  
  
Her anger was gone. She was just confused.  
  
"Spike, what the hell is going on here?"  
  
"I can't do this Buffy."  
  
"Why not? Don't you want me anymore? I can only turn a guy on when he's dead?"  
  
"Buffy, no..." His jaw was clenched, "It's me. I just can't get all wrapped up in you again."  
  
"Can't? Like you have a choice? You told me once that you had tried not to love me and you couldn't do that. Now all of a sudden you get to decide whether to have feelings or not?"  
  
"No... Yes..." He took a deep breath. "Buffy, before...when we were together, it wasn't good for you." She tried to interrupt him, but he held up a hand and cut her off. "Buffy listen to me. This is not about what is going to feel good for us, this is about living our lives and doing it... right. I spent over a century running around causing chaos and ruining lives. I've been given a chance here to make up for some of that; to do something for humanity instead of just taking from it."  
  
Buffy has to stop him, "I don't see why we can't do that together! You just keep pushing me away. Did the Watcher's Council tell you that you can't...?"  
  
"No Buffy, the Watcher's Council never even considers something like this. Stuffy old men and young girls?"  
  
"But you're not a stuffy old man, and I'm not a young girl..." She stepped closer to him.  
  
"But I'm not going to be here with you forever!" Finally his control broke a little. Buffy shook her head to stop his words, but he walked up to grab her arms as he continued, "I am only here to train with you until the new girl is called. You know that. As soon as that happens, I have to go. I'll not tear up your life again." He was firm, and deliberate.  
  
"But I..."  
  
He waited a beat. "You what?"  
  
"I..." She still couldn't say it.  
  
He let go of her and walked away. "Get on home to Dawn now. The li'l bit probably has supper going for you. She's spent enough time alone, don't you think?" With that, he left.  
  
"Yes" she replied to the closed door. "Summers girls seem to do that a lot."  
  
*****  
  
Anya was moving around the shop. She was holding a clipboard and checking her inventory. Spike and Xander were in the back room making a new dummy. Last week, after an argument with Spike, Buffy had dismantled the last one rather gruesomely. She listened to them joking and laughing about the features they wanted to include on this new model. She smiled contentedly. Xander had a friend. A male friend. It was nice for him. Sometimes they would tell stupid jokes and punch each other's arms. Men were so silly.  
  
Anya finished her count and put her clipboard and pencils away. She moved over to the table where Spike had been studying the Diaries again. He seemed to be fascinated with the silly things, reading about the lives and exploits of the other Slayers. Sometimes he would read about the first two he killed, and he tended to be rather touchy for a while afterward. He seemed to take his new job very seriously.  
  
Curious, Anya flipped through a couple. "Looks like boring old fight stuff to me." She muttered. She looked inside the front and back covers to see if there were any personal comments about any of the other Watchers. She had been around for over a thousand years as a demon, and had met a few in the course of her career. Sometimes they even mentioned her in their notations. She noticed a section near the back of one of the books. It appeared to be a ledger of sorts. Yes! Her interest was piqued a little more. The counting system was ancient, but one she recognized. She stopped to pick up another diary, flipped to the back, then sat it down and picked up another.  
  
"Spike, come here!" She called out. Spike and Xander both came out of the room. Spike looked at her inquiringly.  
  
"Spike, you need to call Giles. I've found something here that he needs to know about." Spike and Xander exchanged clueless looks.  
  
"Get him on the phone now Spike. I need to talk to him!"  
  
"Whatever." Spike shrugged. He lifted the phone and punched in the numbers, "But Anya, this one is on you. I don't want to see a copy of the bill next month."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
*****  
  
The gang was assembled in Buffy's living room. It had been almost two weeks since Anya placed her call to Giles. Nobody really had a clue about what was going on. Giles had insisted that Anya air express the Diaries to him and to discuss what she had found with no one. He had finally called back on Friday and asked to meet with everyone at Buffy's house on Saturday evening.  
  
There was a sense of expectation in the room. This had to be something big, for Giles to fly in from England. Buffy was sitting in a chair, twisting her hands. Spike was pacing restlessly around the house. Dawn, Tara and Willow are chatting happily. Xander was irritated because Anya wouldn't tell him anything.  
  
Finally the doorbell rang and the entire group rush over to open it. Giles looked more than a little stunned to see his welcoming committee all greeting him at once. "A little room, please," he asked them "I have some gentlemen with me who might appreciate some personal space."  
  
The gang backed off and made way for Giles and his guests. He greeted everyone and introduced his two associates. They were both members of the Watcher's Council. One is an attorney and the other an accountant. All three men had briefcases.  
  
Buffy motioned for them to sit on the couch while she sat on a chair facing them. Spike stood behind her while Xander and Anya found a place against the wall. Dawn sat on the floor next to Buffy. Tara was in the other chair, with Willow sitting on the arm.  
  
"Giles, is this good or bad?" Buffy wanted to know.  
  
"It's good, quite good." Giles assured her with a smile.  
  
The attorney pulled out a stack of papers and passed them to Giles. After glancing through them, Giles began. "As you all know, Anya discovered something present in the Watcher's Diaries that, somehow, we have missed over the last thirty years." Giles looked abashed, then removed and wiped his glasses before replacing them on his face. He continued, "In the earlier journals there is a list of entries written in an ancient Mayan numerical system. The Watchers had always dismissed these as extraneous information relating to dates of journal entries and so on."  
  
Buffy was tapping her foot. Everyone was getting fidgety. Anya was beaming.  
  
"Get on with it then. No one here is getting any younger!" Spike insisted.  
  
"Yes... well, to come to the point," Giles spareed a glare at Spike, "These are accounts of payments."  
  
"What kind of payments?" Buffy wanted to know.  
  
"Payments to Slayers. It seems that in the past the post of Slayer was a... a salaried position."  
  
"Salaried?" Buffy asked, "Wha...What kind of salary?"  
  
"A rather generous salary, actually, designed to cover all of the Slayer's needs so that she could dedicate her life to, er... slaying."  
  
Xander stepped forward, "You mean to tell me that all this time Buffy was out putting her neck on the line for you people, she was supposed to be getting paid?"  
  
"Well... yes, I suppose I am." Giles continued, "It would appear that Quentin Travers and a few of his close associates have been embezzling the Slayer's funds for quite some time now. They have been removed from the Watchers Council and will be... punished."  
  
"But what does this mean? Will I start getting a salary now?"  
  
Giles rose and moved to sit on the edge of the coffee table. He took Buffy's hands in his. "My dear girl, this means so much more than that."  
  
The accountant cleared his throat and spoke up, "We have calculated all that you should have received for the last six years at the current exchange rate, and have added the interest you would have acquired had you been saving the funds..."  
  
"Compounded annually?" Anya interjected.  
  
"Yes, of course." The attorney nodded. "Miss Summers, you have quite a large sum available to you. It has been deposited in the Sunnydale Bank in your name, and you have free access to it."  
  
Buffy couldn't believe her ears. Dawn was jumping up and down "Yes!" Everybody had huge smiles.  
  
Giles broke in, "Buffy, there is more." They all quieted down to listen "The mortgage on your house has been paid and an extended vacation planned for you and all of your friends. You can choose any destination."  
  
"But, my slaying..." Buffy was having trouble comprehending, "I can't leave..." She stood and turned to look at Spike, then back to Giles.  
  
"Actually, you can." Giles interrupted, "A new Slayer has been called."  
  
"New Slayer..."  
  
Spike broke in. "Where?"  
  
Giles smiled again. "Here in Sunnydale." he stood to address Buffy. "The new Slayer is here, and you... are free."  
  
"Free...?"  
  
"Buffy, you have fulfilled your duty to mankind and the Council. You have served well. You will continue to receive your salary until you die, hopefully as an old happy woman. It is your choice whether you want to stay and help the new Slayer, or just spend the rest of your life enjoying your life. Of course, if you choose to help the new Slayer, it will mean you have to continue to work with Spike here. If you can live with that, the Council would be thrilled to have you on board."  
  
"Giles, how can you make all these things happen?"  
  
Giles could hardly restrain his happiness, "I have been appointed as new Head of the Watcher's Council. I get to make the rules now. My first rule is that Slayers no longer have to die in the line of duty, but can serve their term and return to their lives. The Watchers Council will do everything in their power to support the girls and protect them, if possible. The Powers That Be are helping in this." He glanced at Spike. "They owe us one."  
  
Buffy reached up and embraced him lovingly, "Thank you Giles. Thank you so much."  
  
Giles turned to shake Spike's hand. "Well, now it's official. You are the Watcher here in Sunnydale. Good luck, and feel free to call any time you need assistance."  
  
Spike stepped up behind Buffy and placed one hand possessively on her waist and the other on her shoulder. "I'll remember that old man. I think I will have plenty of help right here." He nodded around the room including Xander, Anya, Willow, Tara and Dawn. "It's a good gig."  
  
Giles nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is."  
  
Xander glanced over to Spike and Buffy, "Hey Dawn, why don't you come with Anya and me. We were headed to the mall."  
  
"Sounds good to me. Maybe Buffy will let me get that new leather jacket now!" Dawn grabbed her purse and hugged her sister. She stopped on the way to the door to kiss Giles on the cheek. "Thank you."  
  
Giles looked down at her warmly. "You're welcome."  
  
Tara stood up, "And Willow and I have some...some dorm cleaning to do, don't we sweetie?"  
  
"Uh yeah, sure... yay cleaning." Willow grimaced, then gave Buffy a happy wave. "Leaving now!"  
  
The attorney and accountant shook Buffy's hand and took their leaves, also. Finally Giles faced her. "I will be in town for a few weeks to help Spike settle in with the new Slayer. By the way, her name is Grace and she has quite a chip on her shoulder. I'm sure she could use some advice from someone who knows what she is going through. I'll see you later Buffy." He kissed the top of her head and left.  
  
Buffy turned to Spike, and smiled when he didn't move away. His hand is still on her waist and his face was close.  
  
"And what about you?" She asked. "Are you going to leave too?"  
  
He considered this for a moment, then tilted his head. "You've never had much luck gettin' rid of me, have you?"  
  
"No" she mused, "You always have a way of turning up." She became serious and looked meaningfully into his face. She lifted her hand to touch her fingertips to his forehead, his cheek, his chin. "I love you, you know."  
  
"Stop it" he replied in a girlish, sing-songy voice. "You don't love me! You just like paiiinnn!"  
  
"That's not fair!" Buffy punched him on the shoulder, smiling.  
  
"Ow!" he laughed. "You've got to remember to pull your punches with me now, Slayer."  
  
"You still love me, don't you?" She needed to hear his words.  
  
His answer was already in his eyes. "Always." He told her softly, and then he kissed her.  
  
THE END. 


End file.
